Pop Quiz: How Would You Invest $1000?

September 6, 2018 | by Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin

An article in The Economist caught my attention with the headline “Time to get in training: Companies must overcome skill shortages.”  The author notes that the amount American companies are spending on training jumped last year by almost a third, to the equivalent of $1000 for every staff member who received training. (See the survey in Training magazine for more data points.) An example features IBM, where employees study online courses on their own time to qualify for a digital “badge” that boosts their career profile on platforms like Linked In. The training featured in the article was mostly IT-related, but in the past, IBM has also been a big proponent of project management training. In fact, back in 2011, their training and career-tracking programs made them stand out as PMO of the Year.

So here's my question: You have a big AI implementation program on the horizon. Quick, what do you invest that $1000 in: AI technology training ... or project management training?

In the Economist article, the companies interviewed are stoked about their technology training. And of course, that is important. For IBM, with thier deep infrastructure of project management culture, these technical badges are an added benefit to their customers. But it’s easy for companies to go off-track training in specific technologies before they've laid a foundation of project management skills. Seriously, what benefit accrues for that $1000 investment in AI training for someone who lacks basic project management skills?

(I can hear the lessons learned meeting now: "But John has every AI technical certifcation in the book!" "Yeah, but he was a lousy project manager.")

Let that sink in, then check out our popular PM Essentials Virtual Class, an author-Instructed online foundational course. Registration is now open for a public edition that includes a free copy of the newly released textbook, Project Management Essentials, Fourth Edition (updated to the PMBOK^® Guide Sixth Edition). The class is led by contributing author and instructor Paul Lombard, PMP, which you know, if you have ever heard him expound on any topic, is the icing on the cake. More information on the PM College site here.

About the Author

Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin

Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin is editor-in-chief for PM Solutions Research, and the author, co-author and editor of over twenty books on project management, including the 2007 PMI Literature Award winner, The AMA Handbook of Project Management, Second Edition.

View Posts by Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin

Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin

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